The Target
A flash fiction trap
“Beautiful, no?” Gerard Orlik gestured at the glowing skyline. “What if you could obliterate it? Give Mother Earth a fresh start?”
Peter Jansky leaned on the rail separating them from a three hundred foot drop. “If only.”
“You were born to be an eco-warrior, Peter.”
“Nah. I lack guts.”
“You just need the chance.”
“No.”
Gerard grinned. “Come on, prove yourself. See those lights in the sky?” The new constellation of communications satellites hovered motionless, brighter than stars. “You hate them, too. Yet they do offer an elegant solution to two problems.”
Staring at Gerard who continued to gaze skyward, Peter asked, “What do you mean?”
“Hack into them, program them for powered descent on the right trajectory.” He made a fist, then opened it explosively. “Kaboom. No more satellite, no more city. Mother Nature scores two.”
Peter chuckled. “I wouldn’t know how to do that.”
“Other people do, Peter. You just push the button.” Gerard produced a device from his trouser pocket.
Taking it, Peter examined the tiny screen with a touch button labeled “Initiate.”
